Chapter 44

The earth shook continuously, the muffled sounds from underground and within the mountains growing louder and louder. One could imagine the magnificent underground palace and the extensive underground research base collapsing under the violent fire element, the intense impacts and rebounds continuously nurturing the power to split the earth. Sigma steadied his swaying figure, staring in horror at the slowly collapsing ring of mountains and shouted, "Beifeng!"

A figure flapped its dragon wings and flew down from the mountain. Beifeng's face was pale and haggard, still in a state of exhaustion. He glanced at Sigma and called out, "Your Highness, hurry and leave. I'll go save the others..."

"It's too late. The village's elder council has all been killed in battle, leaving the clan without a leader. You must live on." Sigma pressed his hand on Beifeng's shoulder, "Can't you sense it? This dangerous force can almost level the entire valley. You can't stop it. You have more to do, don't act on emotion!"

"Who would run away when their own family is in danger? If everyone in this world acted with absolute rationality and never on emotion, then Your Highness wouldn't have intervened in this matter, and the half-orcs would never have gained true freedom and happiness. To you, the half-orcs are just a small part of your destined great legend. To me, they are my entire life. No matter what, I am glad to have fought alongside you. You have done enough. Now, it's time to leave." Beifeng smiled faintly, grabbed Sigma's arm, and threw him into the air, shouting, "Your Highness, take care! All half-orcs, those who have awakened their battle aura, form the outer ring. We will live on together!"

Sigma was thrown into the sky, barely controlling his form. He watched as Beifeng transformed into a golden streak, the dragon's shadow roaring with the surging battle aura, rushing towards the center of the village. On that open ground, the remaining hundreds of half-orc men spontaneously formed a circular formation. Those who had awakened their battle aura stood on the outside, protecting the youngest members in the center. The shadows of different beasts rose one after another, their roars echoing through the valley. The battle auras soared into the sky, forming a cloud. Their will to protect was the same, their spirits resonated, their souls roared, and their battle auras merged, forming an unbreakable barrier that protected everyone.

A long dragon's roar came, and Beifeng's wings flapped as he broke through the battle aura barrier. The battle aura, spurred by the dragon's essence, bloomed vigorously, merging with the barrier, supporting the sky for his people.

Sigma stared at the battle aura barrier on the ground, his mind filled with thoughts. No matter how many excuses he had, he still brutally peeled away his true thoughts: Sigma-Washington did not want to die here. He had done enough for the half-orcs and would not make such a meaningless sacrifice. The people he was willing to die for were not here.

So Beifeng rushed towards the other side without hesitation, because there were people he wanted to protect, and he was one of them.

So Dances with Wolves flew into the sky. He could only be a friend to the half-orcs; he did not belong here.

The valley was gradually collapsing, flames and explosions surging out, splitting large chunks of rock. Amidst the terrifying destruction, that small battle aura barrier seemed so weak, on the verge of collapse, as if it would be completely engulfed by the raging flames at any moment. Sigma clenched his fists tightly, feeling the taste of powerlessness for the first time.

No wonder so many people yearned for greater power. Perhaps it was the personal experience of being powerless and the profound regret of being unable to change things that made them so obsessed with power.

Yes, because he was just a mid-level necromancer, he couldn't save these orcs, couldn't resolve the half-orc issue cleanly, and could only watch them die.

Because he wasn't strong enough.

This time it was the half-orcs. Because he had no regrets, he wouldn't feel too much remorse, only a faint sense of regret and sadness. But what about next time? What if it was someone else? His beloved family, his close friends, his lover, everything he cherished in this world... If someone wanted to destroy all of this and he was powerless to stop it, how would he feel?

Just thinking about it brought a tearing pain from his heart.

Sigma-Washington was a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "a person who has traveled through time or dimensions"). He still considered himself a visitor from another world. His principles and ways of dealing with things still largely came from his ancient and great homeland. He had little sense of belonging to this world and was only interested in things related to him. Although he would act out of a sense of justice and belief when he saw injustice, he was indifferent to the real tragedies happening in other parts of the world that he couldn't see. But even so, there were still things he cherished in this world. Through repeated memories and self-reflection, he firmly believed one thing: Sigma could not live without them.

"So... power." He took a deep breath, forcing himself to look at the battle aura barrier formed by the half-orcs. Whether they died tragically or escaped, he would remember everything that was about to happen, using it as a lesson to constantly strengthen himself and as a significant motivation.

Raging flames burst from the valley, the earth shaking violently.

Then, the flowers bloomed.

A huge vine emerged from the ground, countless white flowers blooming in layers on its body. The flowers bloomed and withered, bearing fruit, and in the blink of an eye, the fruit fell and transformed into new vines. The vines bloomed and bore fruit again, layer upon layer, intertwining. In a moment, hundreds of vines rose from the ground, intertwining and repeating, gently encircling the shining battle aura barrier, creating a safe haven in the endless sea of flames.

The flames burned the vines to ashes, but in the next instant, dozens of new vines grew, filling the gaps in the defense. The endless vines wove a dreamlike web, firmly blocking the violent natural forces. Despite the roaring explosions and flying dust and debris, they silently built an unbreakable defense.

The druids finally arrived.

Through the misty dust, he saw a golden glow in the sky. Golden eagles carried the druids and necromancers flying at high speed. Not only were there the patrolling guards from Florence, but also the necromancers led by Sandro and the druids they had brought along. He even saw a worried Elisa in the crowd.

He saw Luluwei and a white-bearded druid standing in the air. After seeing him, the ghost queen made a rather cute V sign with her eyes, which made him very angry. Now you're still maliciously being cute, where the hell have you been!?

The earth's shaking slowly subsided, and the underground flames destroyed all the half-orcs' secrets. The druid politely nodded to Sigma and then waved his hand. The wind gathered, dispersing the dust, and the intertwined vines quickly withered, turning to dust and blowing away. The valley that had imprisoned the half-orcs for countless years finally collapsed in the wildest way possible.

The elderly, women, and children who had already evacuated the valley crossed the ruins, crying and running towards their loved ones.

The survivors also rushed forward, shouting with joy.

Some people were searching for their loved ones and received sad news, crying out loud.

Was it a happy ending?

No, far from it.

The reinforcements were shocked to see the half-orcs with human bodies and animal heads, as if they had seen ghosts.

When they saw the extremely conspicuous Beifeng with human body and dragon wings, the shock quickly turned into a commotion. The half-orcs were busy searching for their loved ones, and the elder council had all been killed in battle, leaving no one to represent the half-orcs. At this moment, the half-orcs were at their weakest. Beifeng gave Elisa a deep look and walked towards the druid who had saved the half-orcs.

"Beifeng!" Sigma seemed to guess what he was about to do and couldn't help but call out.

Beifeng didn't speak, just turned and gave him a gentle smile. That calm gaze silently told Sigma: I have long been prepared.

"Master Maurel, the half-orcs thank you for your help." He calmly approached the druid and bowed in gratitude.

"Ricos, you..." The druid seemed to want to say something, sighed, and said, "Don't say anything, let's just..."

"No, this is a matter of racial survival. Please, let Prince Sigma and everyone else witness it. We half-orcs come from the war-torn underground, fleeing to the surface of Nolun for survival. We half-orcs are applying for political asylum in the natural kingdom and will formally submit a diplomatic note to Florence..." Beifeng's voice carried far, making everyone hear clearly.

The druid master frowned and whispered, "We have already guessed what happened. If you want to lead this clan, it's not impossible..."

"Please, Master, give your answer!" Beifeng ignored the master's whisper and shouted.

Someone in the crowd called out, "Ricos, what's going on? How do you have dragon wings? We all underwent strict physical exams when we enrolled, and you were clearly a pure-blooded human!"

"Now I am a half-orc! A half-dragon Beifeng! I voluntarily renounced my human status and joined the half-orcs. I studied for a long time and, after accidentally obtaining a vial of dragon blood, used a forbidden secret method to fuse my body with the dragon essence!" Beifeng replied loudly, "Look at these wings. Do you think I'm still human?"

"Life fusion is a taboo rejected by nature! Ricos, why did you do this!" the voice exclaimed in shock.

"Because..." Beifeng once again gave a deep look at the stunned Elisa, a relieved smile on his face. He then shouted, "Because I love hybrids! When I see chicks, puppies, lambs, and calves, I can't help but think, if humans mate with them, would they produce more beautiful new species? I love studying this, I love doing it with animals! Lambs are greedy, calves are scorching hot inside, and puppies are always moving around and not obedient. Do you want to try this feeling? The door to a new world! After encountering the half-orcs, I was deeply fascinated by their existence. I wanted to join them, so I did this. I want to have a beautiful half-orc child, so I joined them. Are you satisfied with this reason?"

His explosive declaration stunned the crowd. He turned to the druid master, "Please give me your answer."

He showed a pleading look and whispered, "Please."

Please, the half-orcs have just escaped the shackles of slavery and should not be dominated by the druids again.

Please, let us live freely as an independent race.

The druid master's eyes flickered, hesitating for a long time before he said in a deep voice, "Who are you? Can you represent your people?"

"He can represent!" Langguduo released his tightly hugging mother, a leopard's roar echoing, his beastified battle aura shining brightly. He stepped forward, pounding his chest, "Human! You are speaking to the leader of the half-orcs, the king we swear allegiance to!"

The half-orcs who had fought alongside Beifeng also stepped forward, standing behind Beifeng with Langguduo, pounding their chests. Battle auras soared into the sky, and they shouted, "Human, you are speaking to the leader of the half-orcs, the king we swear allegiance to!"

All the half-orcs who had awakened their battle auras displayed their beastified battle auras, the brilliant light rising into the sky, forming a dazzling canopy. An intangible spiritual atmosphere enveloped the land, and the cacophony of voices eventually merged into a single, mighty voice, crowning the young man: "Human, you are speaking to the leader of the half-orcs, the king we swear allegiance to!"

The sound shook the surroundings, and everyone was awed by the overwhelming momentum.

Sigma whispered, "Beifeng, the natural kingdom doesn't want to take you in, but the death kingdom welcomes you."

This statement directly disrupted the druid master's plans. His face turned grim, and he nodded silently.

The half-orcs began to cheer.

The druids, however, looked complex. They didn't know the full story but were shocked by Beifeng's speech.

Scorn, disgust, contempt, incomprehension... various gazes pierced Beifeng, but he was oblivious. His world had only one shadow—watching the sad figure fleeing, watching Elisa, whom he could no longer be with, watching the feelings he had severed, he closed his eyes, holding back his tears.

Farewell, my beloved girl.

******

PS1: This is the Beifeng I wanted to show you all.

PS2: A 4,000-word chapter, please give me recommendations.